On April 28, the trailer for season four of a soccer show starring Jasson Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso,” dropped, stating that the new season will come out on Aug. 5. This season will be different from previous ones because it’ll showcase a women’s soccer team, whereas seasons one through three focused on a men’s team. Although shedding light on a female sports team is a step towards equality in the treatment of female and male athletes, there’s still a vast number of differences in the support they receive.

One difference between men’s and women’s sports is the type of language used to describe the athletes. When men express emotion, they are often idolized or praised for it. On the contrary, women who show emotion are referred to as “annoying” or “loud.”

This inconsistency of social rules is evident through the media’s comments on tennis players Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic. Osaka was involved in a “scandalous” act, in which she cheered “come on” after her opponent served the ball into the net, winning Osaka a point. After this event, she received backlash from the internet and released a public apology. 

Osaka’s vocal display of emotion seems minute compared to Djokovic’s infamous racket smashing, yet online users treat him with respect, labeling him as “one of the greats.” 

Kaitlyn Lee, the senior varsity captain for the Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) girl’s soccer team, said, “When men show emotion, it’s often framed as passion or leadership, [but] when women do the same, it can be labeled as overly dramatic. That double standard shapes how audiences perceive female athletes and can undermine their accomplishments.”

There’s also a noticeable shift in the types of questions both genders receive in interviews.

A video on YouTube titled “#CoverTheAthlete” from BellTime Magazine gained traction for its examples of ridiculous questions that female athletes receive. In the video, a reporter asked male athletes the same questions they typically ask female athletes and the men seemed dumbfounded. They had no idea how to answer the questions, leaving most of them nervously laughing.

Women athletes are confronted with questions about their personal lives or about their clothing, and it stems from audiences not taking their sport seriously. In recent events highlighting how people dismiss women’s sports, President Donald Trump spoke to  the National Men’s Hockey Team, who won a gold medal at this year’s Milan Cortina Olympics. Trump joked about how he had to invite the women’s team to the White House along with the men.

He said, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that?”

Despite Trump’s reluctance to invite the women to the White House, the women’s team has consistently won gold medals at the Olympics; meanwhile, the last time the men’s team won before this year was 1980.

Moreover, influencer Wyatt Eiden is known for taking to the streets and asking people random questions. On Feb. 22, he asked a number of men if they thought they could beat any professional female athlete in their sport. Many of them responded that they could beat professional female athletes.

Despite the thoughts of some men, female athletes continue to outperform and break records. For example, Shacarri Richardson, Olympic gold medalist for track and field, competed as a handicap in the 2026 Powercor Stawell Gift in April. This means she raced against other track athletes, male and female, but started from behind them. Although she started from behind, she was able to win the race and beat the male participants.

Why do female athletes like Richardson automatically get treated as less than even though they’ve endlessly proved that they’re worthy of respect?

Sophia Conne, senior lacrosse player at HBHS, said, “Men have this built-up cockiness. I definitely think that this cockiness comes from the media and how men just think that they’re better than everyone else. Just because they are naturally born in a way that [makes them] think they’re good at everything.”

These types of attitudes are not just at the professional level. 

“From personal experience at HBHS, there have definitely been moments where our soccer team felt treated differently than male teams,” Lee said. “Whether it’s game scheduling, field conditions, or the level of attention and support, there’s sometimes an imbalance. Even small things–like less promotion or fewer spectators–can add up and make it clear that girls’ sports aren’t always given the same platform.”

Similarly, Conne said, “At HBHS, men have a lot more privileges than women, and they tend to get the field more often, even when the girls are in season. For example, last week, football was on the field, and we couldn’t start practice until they got off the field, even though we’re in season for lacrosse.”

Another key difference in men’s and women’s sports is the gap between male and female coaches.

Ashley Hampton, HBHS Girls’ Softball assistant coach, said, “I think the biggest difference with softball is that it is a lot of girls [are] being coached by males. There is starting to be a shift in that, which I think is awesome, but you don’t see that a whole lot in baseball. It’s males being coached by males.”

The coaching difference can be spotted across several sports like football. The majority of National Football League (NFL) coaches are male. It wasn’t until 2015 that a woman became a coach in the NFL. Jen Welter completely changed the coaching dynamic by becoming a training camp intern for the Arizona Cardinals. Because of Welter, there are now 15 female coaches in the NFL.

To support female athletes, new sports bars have opened across the country that only play women’s sports. In Long Beach, CA, the most recent infrastructural addition includes Watch Me! Sports Bar. According to their website, they aim to “celebrate achievements by women” and “create a welcoming and comfortable environment showcasing a steady flow of any and all televised women’s sports.” 

If you want to start supporting female athletes, going to places like these is a great way to start. You can also attend local women’s sporting events, like high school games.

“They’re so fun. Just supporting female athletes and giving them a platform is so much fun,” said Hampton on why people should come to watch their high school’s women’s sports teams. “To see what these female athletes can do is awesome.”